The eastern kingbird is a familiar sight throughout our open grasslands this summer. They are feisty, territorial nesters with a wide breeding range that extends across the entire eastern United States. During migration and winter they become downright gregarious and can be seen in groups of thousands on their way to South America. Although feisty in their breeding season they can be downright sweet towards other species that happen to stray into their feeding or nesting territories. They are well-known for chasing away much larger birds, like crows and hawks, from their feeders and nesting areas and have even been known to attack low flying airplanes!

On one of my recent trips to our wetlands near Lake Zurich I noticed a high, thickly woven nest built in a stump and tree in the grass. Upon closer examination I realized that this was a kingbird nest. The male and female work together to construct this bulky cup-shaped nest which may contain bits of paper and other foreign objects mixed in. A clutch of two to five smooth, pale eggs with irregular reddish spots are then deposited. The female incubates the eggs for 14 to 17 days. Once the young hatched both the male and female feed the nestlings and continue to feed them for up to seven weeks after they have left the nest.

Kingbirds are primarily insect-eaters but will also feed on berries and fruits in their tropical winter habitats. They are highly attracted to open habitats where grasslands with scattered trees and wetlands meet, as they are good forage and breeding sites for both their large and small flying insects. https://nestvui.com/yen-tho-loai-dac-biet-hop-100g/ favor habitat edges with water or forests and may migrate to these habitats when the weather changes.

This kingbird pair is likely raising their first brood of the season and I was impressed by the attentive parenting they showed to their young. They fed their hatchlings a steady diet of large flying insects and fruit, as well as dead animals and berries. They also removed the stingers from bees and wasps before feeding them to their young. This is a very unusual characteristic for any bird and is probably what contributes to their high survival rate of Kingbird fledglings.

Kingbirds are named for their loud and sharp calls which include a rapid quivering of the wings and a stuttering dzzeet dzeet. https://nestvui.com/yen-tinh-che-hop-50g/ during the nesting season is also well documented, with dramatic aerial combat in which the birds lock their feet together and pull out each other’s feathers. Interestingly, however, they are extremely tame with humans and I have never been subjected to their aggressive behavior. In fact, observing their behavior has been quite fascinating.